Assault rifles

Mattera stated that Eugene Robinson's column, 'Assault weapons must be banned' was a 'predictable,' 'left-leaning' reaction to the Orlando massacre. Recent polls show large majorities of all political persuasions favor more gun control measures.

Mattera suggests the 'real problem' is a new moral breakdown of society and lack of respect for human life. Mankind has a long history of wars and atrocities, not to mention crimes and murders — nothing new there.

The assault rifle is an efficient killing machine that the family of the inventor stated was developed strictly for military use. They say their father would have been appalled at civilian sales.

Mattera says people who want to ban assault rifles want to 'ban all dangerous stuff.' Not true, but trying to make the world safer — not really so terrible.

Mattera says he is a hunter and target shooter. No one is suggesting banning hunting rifles or target shooting for law-abiding citizens. Mattera's suggestion that he obtained guns easier in the 1960s and there were no mass killings is false. Back then, a shooter killed people from a Texas school tower, and Lee Harvey Oswald would have killed many more if he had an assault rifle.

Morality today is represented in those who support the victims of the Orlando massacre and are looking for ways to prevent another assault rifle massacre.

Stuart Wing, Moorpark

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